Panthers Win Opener! WOW!

WOW! DID YOU SEE THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a way to start off the season!  A shootout victory!  I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t seen it myself.  Although since every streaming website is blocked at my office and I also have no streaming radio, I relied on my wife and ESPN updates to my cell phone for the blow by blow details.  Therefore, I didn’t see it, or even hear it!

It sounded like it was  a great game with the Florida Panthers just not going away.  The Hawks opened the scoring in the second period with Patrick Kane and the Panthers answered with Michael Frolik ending the second period tied at one.  In the third the Hawks took the lead with a Dustin Byfuglien goal which was answered by Ville Koistenenenenenen.  The Hawks took the lead back with a goal by Patrick Sharp at 11:36, but with just under 3 minutes left, David Booth tied the game at three!  The third period saw the Hawks throw 24 (YES 24) shots at Tomas Vokoun, ending regulation with 50 shots on goal.  Yikes, that’s gonna have to stop.  No scoring in OT, which then led to the potentially damaging shootout!

An area last year that potentially caused the Panthers a playoff spot would get off on the right track this year as Stephen Reinprecht opened the scoring for the Panthers.  Scoring for the Hawks were Patrick Sharp and Jonathan Toews, but Patrick Kane missed on the Hawks first shot and none other than Ville Koistenenenenen scored the winner!

My hat is off to the Panthers.  Not to go unappreciated was the play of  Tomas Vokoun.  Say what you want, facing 55 shots in a game is pretty taxing and I’m sure it could have been alot worse, but he ultimately saved the day and the Panthers kept fighting back.  A solid win for sure. A great start to the season.  But don’t celebrate too much tonite boys.  Tomorrow we have to do it all over again.  I promise the Hawks will not be in a good mood about this one and will look to take it out on us all night.

Ok, now for the Molson Canadien Player of the game to be awarded for every Panther victory, and once in awhile during a loss if someone really deserves it: 

The award goes to Ville Koistenenenenenen.    With a goal in regulation and the winner in OT in front of the hometown, it’s a pretty easy choice!

Ok, folks.  That’s it from Finland and the Hartwell Arena Fort Lauderdale.  Savor the win boys and let’s do it again tomorrow!

Thanks for reading.